Group Anxiety Disorder Treatment: Northern Virginia

The Anxious Child group is a cognitive-behavioral program for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and teens who engage in negative thinking, avoidant behavior, or whose anxiety interferes with their general functioning. Some of the more common problems that previous group members have conquered are: fear of sleeping alone, fear of being alone in a room, fear of germs, fear of new social situations, fear of being late, social phobia, and social anxiety.

The therapy integrates elements of a behavioral approach (e.g., exposure to anxiety producing situations, relaxation training, and role plays) with a cognitive one (e.g., cognitive restructuring, positive self-talk, and problem solving). The goal of the treatment is to provide children with the skills to cope in a variety of anxiety-provoking situations. The program puts great emphasis on

awareness of bodily reactions when anxious;

identification and modification of anxious self talk;

relaxation training;

coping skills;

practice assignments.

Schedule

This group is an 18-20 week program. A parent group runs concurrently with the child group so parents can learn the same skills as the children in order to be better equipped to help their child practice the skills throughout the week.
In Step also offers individual therapy for children, teens, and adults with anxiety issues.